Proportioning device



Aug. 8, 1950 s, s, FIELD 2,517,647

PROPORTINING DEVICE Filed Jan. 12, 1948 \a WHW 16 j i I .11% .G

i INVENPOR. JVM/EY JY FIEL@ BY Mal/M3 Patented Aug. 8, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROPORTIONING DEVICE Sydney S. Field, New York, N. Y. Application January 12, 1948, Serial No. 1,880

1 Claim. l

An object of this invention is to provide a simple instrument with which the operator may determine what portion of an illustration may be reduced or enlarged to lt in a predetermined space. The use is particularly suited to artists, printers, photographers, and illustrators in the layout of magazines, books, advertisements, and newspapers. Many similar uses will be obvious from the following description of the device.

In the drawing- Figure l is a plan View of my invention;

Figure 2 is a partial perspective view, partly in section; and

Figure 3 is a detailed section along the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

My device comprises a right-angle frame oi suitable material, such as metal. The top bar I and side bar 2 of the frame are marked 01T in inches reading from their intersection. This marking may be on the bars or on separately mounted scales 4, as shown. Fastened to the outer faces of the frame is an arcuate bar 3, a quarter-circle in length, with a radius equal to the length of bars I and 2. This arcuate bar could be elliptical or other curved form, although it will be seen that the circular section maintains equal tension on the divider 5 at all positions and is hence preferred. One end of a divider 5, preferably of ne wire, is pivotally mounted at the intersection of bars I and 2 and the other end is attached to a helical spring 6, which in turn is attached to a clip 'l which is slidably mounted on bar 3, and may be xed at any position by set sc rew IS which is threaded into the bottom portion of said clip, with its shank loosely passing through the upper portion. Figure 3 shows the details of the divider arrangement. The divider moves in a plane beneath the arms 8 and 9, avoiding interference between movable parts.

Arms 8 and S are fastened to cylinders IB and I I. Cylinders Il) and II slide on the guide rods I2 and I3 which are mounted on bars i. and i, respectively. Cylinders I and II have spring clips on their inside diameters bearing against the surfaces of rods I2 and I3 which maintain arms 8 and 9 perpendicular to the frame so that their intersection is a right angle. Arm 8 and 9 are free to move upwardly, as illustrated in broken lines in Figure 2, with respect to arm l, as the cylinders I Il and II rotate on the guide 'divider 5 and arms 8 and 9 rods I2 and I3. The outer end of each arm 8 and 9 is formed into a U-shape and rests on retaining rod I4 which is attached to the frame.

The frame is supported on three feet I5 to allow a desired amount of clearance between the device and the work to permit movement of the without disturbing the work.

This device permits the operator to determine the portion of a eld of View which he can insert in a predetermined space, on enlarged or reduced scale, when he desires to show only a part of a larger field; or when he desires to use the entire eld, but does not know whether the proportions are the same. It thus avoids the necessity of iiguring proportions mathematically.

When using the device, the operator will know his available space; for example, suppose he has an area six inches long by :four inches wide to be filled. He will set one arm 8 or 9 at six inches and the other arm at four inches, and then adjust clip 'l so that divider 5 passes under the point of intersection of arms 8 and 9. He next positions his illustration with one corner of the portion he desires at the intersection of the frames I :and 2, and adjusts arms 8 and 9 as required to include the portion of the view wanted. In making this adjustment, the intersection of arms 8 and 9 is kept at a point on the divider 5 so the proportion of length to breadth within the rectangle formed by the arms S and 9 and frames I and 2 is always the same. When the desired portion of the View to include within the rectangle is decided upon, the illustration may be marked to indicate this portion, which can then be enlarged or reduced as necessary to lit the siX-by-four inch space. The operator, therefore, has a View of the portion of the illustration to be used in exact proportion to its nished size.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that my device is capable of various modifications and I do not desire, therefore, to be restricted to the particular details shown and described, but only within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A proportioning device comprising a pair of frame members forming `a right-angle frame, transversely slidable rigid arms mounted on said frame to intersect at a right angle thereby formon said frame members to permit raising their ends, and a pair of stationary rods fixed to and respectively parallel to said pair of frame mem.

bers and underlying the ends of said slidable arms to provide a rest therefor Without impairng the ready slidability of said arms.

SYDNEY S. FIELD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 633,263 Grant Sept. 19, 1899 754,086 Nichols Mar. 8, 1904 1,330,353 Smith Feb. 10, 1920 1,442,710 Webster Jan. 16, 1923 1,736,342 Giehler NOV. 19, 1929 2,190,947 Kinzler Feb. 20, 1940 

